This easy Caramel Apple Empanadas recipe has a sweet cheesecake filling that’s impossible to resist. Baked, not fried, and ready in no time, these apple hand pies will be devoured quickly!
Can’t get enough caramel and apples? Readers love our caramel apple cupcakes! Or try our caramel apple cheesecake bars.
Why These Caramel Apple Empanadas Are the Best
Nothing is more comforting than an old-fashioned apple pie. There’s a reason it’s America’s favorite food!
Today’s Caramel Apple Empanadas recipe is my EASY take on the classic pie recipe—with some gooey caramel thrown in to make it even more delicious.
Here’s why I love this recipe and think you will too!
- Quick and simple. From start to finish, you can make these in under an hour with just a handful of ingredients.
- Smart shortcuts. I’ve got some shortcuts that may make your grandma cringe, but busy moms rejoice! Instead of fussing with homemade pastry crust or peeling a bunch of apples, we use some store-bought options.
- Gooey and delicious. Between the cheesecake filling, spiced apples, and caramel glaze, these caramel apple empanadas are irresistible!
- Kid-friendly and crowd-pleasing. In other words, EVERYONE is going to love this recipe. Serve it up at a party or potluck and watch it disappear!
Important Ingredient Notes
- Refrigerated pie crust – While you can use homemade crust if you’d like, you’ll save tons of time by buying the rolls of pie crust dough at the store.
- Apple pie filling – Again, you can definitely use homemade if you’d like, but there are so many other flavors in this recipe, you really won’t miss out by using canned.
- Cream cheese – Let this soften so it’s easy to mix with the other ingredients.
- Caramel ice cream topping – No need to make your own caramel sauce from scratch here!
How to Make Caramel Apple Empanadas
Prepare:
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and remove pie crusts from their packaging so they can come to room temperature.
- In two small bowls, separate the egg white from the egg yolk. Keep both, but whisk each separately.
Make the fillings:
- Dump the apple pie filling into a small bowl. Chop apple slices into small pieces; you can use kitchen shears to do this easily inside the bowl.
- In a second bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar and vanilla extract until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Assemble:
- Unroll the pie crusts and cut out circles using a 4-inch biscuit cutter. Re-roll the scraps to get more circles.
- Using a 1 tablespoon scoop, spoon half a scoop of apple pie filling and half a scoop of cheesecake filling into the center of each pie crust circle. Brush the edges of the circle with the whisked egg white.
- Fold each empanada in half and pinch the edges closed with your fingers or crimp them with a fork.
- Set the empanadas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Prick each empanada with a fork before baking to let steam escape, then brush the tops with the whisked egg yolk.
Bake: Place the pan in the oven and bake the apple empanadas for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and cool on wire rack.
Glaze:
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, caramel ice cream topping, and milk. Add more or less milk to reach your desired consistency.
- Dip the cooled empanadas into the caramel glaze and return to them to the parchment paper lined baking sheet to set.
Tips and Tricks
- Change up the filling by swapping out flavors. Peach Hand Pies are amazing!
- Use a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper on your baking sheet to prevent sticking.
- Don’t be alarmed if some of your empanadas break open.
- Allow the empanadas to cool completely before glazing so the glaze doesn’t melt.
- Want to make homemade apple pie filling? Check out these delicious Apple Hand Pies.
- Skip the homemade glaze and opt for just a drizzle of caramel sauce instead!
Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can freeze these after baking with or without the glaze. Just note, if you freeze WITH the glaze, it may get a little soft and runny when defrosting. To freeze, slide the empanadas into a freezer-safe airtight container or ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Traditionally, empanada dough is less flaky than a hand pie. In terms of desserts, hand pies are usually made with a pie crust dough, which is flaky! But, for sake of this dessert today, you can call them hand pies, empanadas, or even turnovers (which are usually made with puff pastry dough). Whatever you call them, they’re delicious!
It depends! In some regions, they’re baked, while in others, they’re fried. To keep things easy, this caramel apple empanada recipe bakes them.
Empanadas can be sealed with egg white, like I use in this recipe, or a little bit of water. Then, press the edges together with your fingers or a fork to seal them shut.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
- Chocolate Eclair Cake
- Apple Pie Bread
- Apple Crumble
- Rice Crispy Treats
- Lemon Hand Pies
- Mini Pecan Pies
- More Pies and Tarts
Caramel Apple Empanadas
Ingredients
For the empanadas
- 2 boxes refrigerated pie crust 14.1 ounce each
- 1 can apple pie filling 20 ounce
- 1 package cream cheese, softened 8 ounce
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg separated
For the glaze
- 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup caramel ice cream topping
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove pie crusts from their packaging and allow to come to room temperature.
- In two small bowls, separate egg white from egg yolk. KEEP BOTH. Whisk each one separately. Set aside.
- Dump apple pie filling into a small bowl. Chop up apple slices into small bits. Set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Unroll pie crusts and cut circles using a 4-inch circle biscuit cutter. Re-roll the scraps once to get more circles.
- Using a 1 Tbsp scoop, spoon half a scoop of apple pie filling and half a scoop of cheesecake filling into the center of each pie crust circle. Brush the edges of the circle with the whisked egg white.
- Fold each empanada in half and pinch the edges close (either by folding or pressing with a fork). Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat for remaining apple hand pies.
- Prick each empanada with a fork before baking. Brush tops of empanadas with whisked egg yolk, in a thin, even coating.
- Bake apple empanadas for about 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and cool on wire rack.
- Make the glaze by whisking together powdered sugar with caramel ice cream topping and milk. Add more or less milk to desired consistency. For a thicker glaze (like I used), I did 2 Tbsp milk. Add up to 4 Tbsp for a thinner glaze.
- Dip cooled empanadas into the caramel glaze and return to parchment paper lined baking sheet to set.
Notes
- Change up the filling by swapping out flavors. Peach Hand Piesare amazing!!
- Use a silpat baking mat or parchment paper on your baking sheet to prevent sticking.
- Don’t be alarmed if some of your empanadas break open. Allow them to cool before glazing.
- Want to make homemade apple pie filling? Check out these delicious Apple Hand Pies.
- Skip the homemade glaze and opt for just a drizzle of caramel sauce instead!
Nutrition
Easy Caramel Apple Empanadas are baked hand pies with a sweet apple pie and cheesecake filling topped with caramel glaze!
These were so yummy! I think they will be perfect for our school’s bake sale also!
Woaao!!! Aimee this is my favorite off all time… belive me. Im going cooking this when i get home.
I try one time when im in Lisbon, one shop have to sell and its amazing.
Keep you good work. Thanks for all the great recipes.